The modus vivendi of this blog is plainly self explanatory. Pathetically,'progressives' regularly promote implausable, impractical or plainly asinine ideas. Who but socialists could for decades abuse the term 'economic rationalism' - without humiliation? THIS GOES TO THE VERY HEART OF ECONOMIC POLICY AND RATIONAL GOVERNMENT: TO WIT TO NOT CRITICIZE THE CONSERVATIVES AS BEING 'RATIONAL'!
My other main blog:
mediaspinners.blogspot.com.au
Geoff Seidner

IN the actions brought by James Ashby against the
commonwealth and Peter Slipper, the commonwealth paid $50,000 in an out-of-court
settlement.

On the same facts, a judge of the same court has given
summary judgment to Slipper, dismissing Ashby's case as an abuse of
process.

It may well be true that the predominant purpose of
the action was to pursue a political attack against Slipper. But what of the
judge's statement that "it is not necessary to make any finding about whether Mr
Slipper did sexually harass Mr Ashby".

Assume for a moment that, instead of being a Coalition
MP who had left his party to become Speaker, Slipper had been the president of a
golf club who was found to be promoting a competing
club.

If Ashby had been the bar steward, would he have had
an action against the club president for harassment dismissed because he may
have collaborated with committee members who wanted to see the president
overthrown? I doubt it.

The rules against abuse of process would be nothing but a
politicians' charter if a political attack against a respondent were to be held
by the courts as more serious than any other kind of attack. That is what would
bring the administration of justice into disrepute among all right-thinking
people.